For centuries one of man's principal social and intellectual diversions, cards and card games, fit every degree of skill, from the simplest children's games to advanced games requiring inferential reasoning of a high order, psychology, and speculation. Card games remain popular despite the proliferation of other forms of entertainment, and cards are also used for education, divination, and conjuring.
Though where and when cards originated is uncertain, China seems to be the most likely place, and the 7th to the 10th century the earliest probable time. An Indian origin has been suggested by the resemblance of symbols on some early European decks to the ring, sword, cup, and baton classically depicted in the four hands of Hindu statues. Yet another theory is that both cards and chests are derived from ancient divinatory procedures used by primitive peoples.
It is not known how cards were introduced to Europe. Some early decks had symbols resembling the Chinese markings and may have been taken back by a Venetian, possibly Niccolo Polo or his more famous Son Marco during travels to and from China in the latter half of the 13th century. Another speculation is that cards may have been brought from Arabia by the Gypsies, but the Gypsies did not reach Western Europe in appreciable numbers until after cards had been more firmly established. If an Arab origin is to be sought, the Saracen invasion of Sicily or the Moorish Conquest of Spain could provide a link. The Spanish word for cards, which is naipes, and an earlier Italian word, which is naibi, are probably of Arab origin. There are references to cards in Italy from 1299, in Spain, from as early as 1371, the Low Countries, from 1379, and in Germany from 1380. A French manuscript of the early 14th century contains a reference to cards, and in 1392 the registers of the Chambre des Comptes of Charles VI recorded the purchase of three games of cards "in gold and diverse colors". In England by 1465 the use of cards was well enough established for manufacturers to petition for protection against imports.
Card games catering to social and competitive inclinations have proved vastly more important than other uses of cards. It is frequently suggested that one prime ingredient of their success is that such games allow women to compete with men on equal terms and in mixed society. From the earliest times, cards have been used for instruction in diverse subjects. A cardinal, for example, used playing cards each baring a full-length figure with a description below, to instruct the young Louis XIV in the names of the kings and queens of France, geography, and Greek myths. Heraldry was also a popular subject for instruction by cards. Today there are many games, played mainly by children, based on the assembly of sets of pictures, while other decks--printed with the letters of the alphabet--or used for word games by adults as well as children.
The games for children are necessarily simple, as they must appeal to all age groups, and are seldom played in a serious frame of mind. Children enjoy them because they can compete with adults with a chance of winning. Most can be played by any reasonable number, and many games accentuate the element of suspense by giving each player three lives, after losing which he is out. Some games introduce actions, such as Slapjack, in which the player who slaps the jack when it appear takes all of the cards in a common pile. Some have an educational value, such as Casino, which is a foremost children's game because it gives practice in elementary arithmetic and can be played at a more serious level by adults. Other popular games are Old Maid and Beggar-My-Neighbor. Older children quickly learn to outshine most adults in such games as Concentration (Memory, Pelmanism in which, on each turn, the player faces two cards from a complete deck laid out face down. If a pair is formed, the player keeps them; if not, they are returned to their places, again face down. The winner is the player who collects the most cards.
The game of Concentration is very important in developing the memory skills of children. As such, the game of Concentration can be adapted, in other ways, to increase the understanding of geography or other important topics. In addition, when used with the names of football players, emphasis can be placed on the pattern in which football players attended college prior to playing professional football. As such, there is a need to adapt conventional playing cards so as to instill goals and to promote education among children.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a card game which is instructional and educational.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a card game that is simple, yet fun to play.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a card game that is adaptable to a wide range of topics and subjects.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.